Island



(No Model.)

B. O. LEWIS. TICKET HOLDER.

No. 591,171. Patented Oct. 5,1897.

1, mwa;

socket, in the county of Providence and State Nrrnn STATES EVERETT C. LEXVIS,

or WOONSOOKET,

HALF TO ALVERTUS DEAN.

RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE TICKET-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters P atent No. 591,171, dated October 5, 1897.

Application filed .Tune 5, 1896. Serial No. 594,407. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EVERETT O. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVoonof Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ticket-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ticket-holders; and it consists substantially in such features of construction, arrangement, and combinations of parts as will hereinafter be more particularly described.

There are a great many instances in the use of tickets, checks, and coupons of different kinds where these devices are required to be. produced from time to time for inspection, and annoyance and inconvenience frequently ensue from this cause. Particularly is this true with railroad tickets and checks,'as well as with theater-tickets and while in the case of the former it is common to carry the same in the band of the hat or in some other equally conspicuous part it is impossible in the latter case, and, besides, in the first case the tickets or checks frequently become lost, either by slipping out of place or else by being taken out unobserved.

The object of the present invention isto overcome the disadvantages and inconveniences above alluded to, as well as the provision of simple and effective means for holding tickets of various kinds, substantially as will herein after more fully appear, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of one form or embodiment of my improved ticketholder, and Fig. 2 is a top or plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a central vertical cross-section showing the holder in two parts. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of each of the parts constituting the embodiment shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of another form or embodiment of my invention, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a further form or modification. Fig. '7 is a plan of a still further modification.

My invention is intended as a holder for all kinds of tickets, checks, or coupons, but more especially as a holder for railroad-tickets, and

. is adapted to be secured to the backs of the car-seats, so that the tickets may always be held in a position to be inspected by the conductor, as well as to be within sight of the owner of the ticket.

My invention is capable of a great many different constructions or embodiments, both in the holder itself as well as in the means for attaching the same to the back of a car-seat or other support but in the practice of the invention I prefer either one of the forms or embodimentsesuch, for instance, as I have herein illustrated. Thus 1 represents any suitable support for the ticket-holder, andA 6 designates the holder itself as a whole. This said holder is preferably of metal and may be constructed either in a single piece or part, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or else the same may be in two parts, as shown in the remain- 7o ing figures of the drawings. In either case the said device comprises as its essential feature or characteristic a ticket-receiving slot or channel the sides of which are constructed with corresponding curved surfaces and which sides serve to direct the ticket within the slot and to securely holdthe same afterinsertion, but readily permitting withdrawal thereof whenever desired. By this construction the ticket or check has one or more grad- 8o ual bends or turns imparted thereto without abruptly bending the same, which of course would tend to break or tear it, and the ticket cannot fallout accidentally or be removed from between the curved sides of the slot without the lexercise of some little strength or force applied lengthwise of the ticket.

As shown, my improved ticket-holder is preferably constructed of a rounded metal block A, having formed thereon -a ticket-reo ceiving slot 3 of a depth which may or may not equal the width of a ticket, and which block is provided with a screw 4, passing down through thesame at one side of the slot and entering the support 1, so as to be 5 firmly held in position. The said slot 3 is made flaring at one end, as seen at 5, so as to facilitate the entrance or insertion of a ticket, and at this point the base 5 of the said slot or opening is rounded off or beveled at 6, which also increases the facility with which the end of the ticket is inserted or started to be pushed into the slot. With each of the forms or embodiments herein shown it will be seen that the said slot or opening3 extends all the way through or across the block in one direction, leaving the bottom or base 5, and. for all the purposes for which the curved slot 3 is intended the corresponding curves of the sides of the walls may be made to extend in the direction of the length of the slot, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the walls remaining straight as to their height, or else the slot may be made straight as to its length, as in Fig. 5, and the walls thereof correspondingly curved in the direction of their height, as shown in said latter figure. As regards the first construction the walls are shown to be reversely curved to impart one or more bends or turns to the ticket, while in the second form the walls may be likewise reversely curved, but, as shown, their surfaces at the central part are struck up on more simple curves instead, and which is equally practicable in some instances. In referring to the curved nature of the surfaces of the walls of the slot it will be noted that the one wall is practically in intaglio, while the other is in relief, or, in other words, their surfaces are so formed as to fit each other if the walls were closed. The results are the same in either case, and it will be understood also that in either case immaterial variations could be adopted in practice without departing from the scope of invention intended to be embraced. As a convenientform I prefer the one first above described.

While in some instances my improved device or holder could be constructed in a single piece, as before mentioned, it is desirable to cheapen and simplify the same as much as possible, and to this end I construct the same in two parts a b (separately shown in Fig. 4) and which are united or joined together in any suitable way for use. Various constructions or means could be employed for neatly and compactly fitting said parts together and for securing the two parts in place upon a support, but I prefer the means such as I have herein shown. Thus on reference to Fig. 4 the part a will be seen to be formed with a projecting seat or base portion 12, having an opening 13, and which seat or base portion is so reduced in diameter relative to the remaining half or portion of the base of the said part a as to leave at one side an abutting shoulder 14 and at the other side the rounded or beveled portion, hereinbefore mentioned in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. The part b of the holder or block is formed with an opening 16 for the passage of the fastening-screw 4, which opening is counterbored at its upper end and registers or coincides with the opening 13 when the two parts are joined together, and the said screw passes all the way through the two openings and enters the support, as shown in Fig. 3.

In order that the two parts a and b be made to fit together nicely, the bottom of the part b is recessed at 17, leaving a flange 18, which snugly receives the seat or projection 12 of the part a, and reference to Fig. 3 will show the compact manner in which the two parts are held in place. The shoulder 14, it will be observed, prevents the curved surfaces of the walls from coming into contact, and thereby leaves a space between the walls of the slot about equal to the thickness of the ticket or check. As a security against the turning or detachment of the block without the aid or use of a special tool, as a screw-driver, some means are desirable, and while various means could be employed for this purpose I prefer the use simply of a projection 20 from the under side of the holder-as, for instance, beneath the part a thereof-and which is made to enter the back of the seat or other support. It is obvious from this construction and arrangement that the holder cannot be detached without wholly removing the screw from the support.

Referring to the modification shown in Fig. 6, it will be seen that the sides of the ticketslot 3 are straight as to length and curved as to height, the said sides converging toward each other and being practically joined at the bottom of the slot, and the upper extremity of said slot is provided with a flaring or enlarged mouth 22, formed by rounding or beveling the sides of the slot at 23. This form also preferably comprises two separate parts and is otherwise constructed the same as above described with reference to Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Instead of being fiat, however, the block in this instance as a whole is oval, and therefore in order to insert the fasteningscrew 25 the holes therefor are made slanting or diagonal, as shown.

In Fig. 7 is shown a form of device which comprises a slot the side walls of which are straight as to their height, but which are struck up in corresponding simple curves lengthwise instead of the curves being reversed, as before.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a neat and simple device for the purposes intended and one that is inexpensive and useful.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction'and arrangement of parts. shown, I claim-- 1. A ticket-holder comprising a block hav= ing a curved ticket slotor opening, the walls of which are parallel as to their height at any cross-section, substantially as described.

2. A ticket-holder comprising a block having a curved ticket slot or opening, the walls of which are parallel at any cross-section and relatively stationary, said slot being formed with a flaring mouth or entrance, substantially as described.

3. A ticket-holder comprising a block having a ticket slot oropening, the side walls of which are straight and parallel as to height at any cross-section and curved in the direc tion of the length of the slot, the said walls at the base and opposite shoulders, and the other with a recessed under surface to receive said seat, both the seat and the part resting thereon having holes for the passage of a fastening-screw, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

EVERETT C. LEWIS."

Witnesses: I

WALTER I. BALLoU, GUsTAVE A. Gnas. 

